Ne Majasi Ne... Savarkar

ने मजसी ने परत मातृभूमीला सागरा प्राण तळमळला ॥धृ॥

भूमातेच्या चरणतला तुज धूता मी नित्य पाहिला होता
मज वदलासी अन्य देशि चल जाऊ सृष्टिची विविधता पाहू
तैं जननीहृद् विरहशंकितहि झाले परि तुवां वचन तिज दिधले
मार्गज्ञ स्वये मीच पृष्ठि वाहीन त्वरित या परत आणीन
विश्वसलो या तव वचनी मी जगद्नुभवयोगे बनुनी मी
तव अधिक शक्ती उद्धरणी मी येईन त्वरे कथुनि सोडिले तिजला ॥
सागरा प्राण तळमळला

शुक पंजरि वा हरिण शिरावा पाशी ही फसगत झाली तैशी
भूविरह कसा सतत साहु या पुढती दशदिशा तमोमय होती
गुणसुमने मी वेचियली या भावे की तिने सुगंधा घ्यावे
जरि उद्धरणी व्यय न तिच्या हो साचा हा व्यर्थ भार विद्येचा
ती आम्रवृक्षवत्सलता रे नवकुसुमयुता त्या सुलता रे
तो बाल गुलाबहि आता रे फुलबाग मला हाय पारखा झाला ॥
सागरा प्राण तळमळला

नभि नक्षत्रे बहुत एक परि प्यारा मज भरतभूमिचा तारा
प्रासाद इथे भव्य परी मज भारी आईची झोपडी प्यारी
तिजवीण नको राज्य मज प्रिया साचा वनवास तिच्या जरि वनिचा
भुलविणे व्यर्थ हे आता रे बहु जिवलग गमते चित्ता रे
तुज सरित्पते जी सरिता रे त्वदविरहाची शपथ घालितो तुजला ॥
सागरा प्राण तळमळला

या फेनमिषें हससि निर्दया कैसा का वचन भंगिसी ऐसा
त्वत्स्वामित्वा सांप्रत जी मिरवीते भिनि का आंग्लभूमीते
मन्मातेला अबला म्हणुनि फसवीसी मज विवासनाते देशी
तरि आंग्लभूमी भयभीता रे अबला न माझि ही माता रे
कथिल हे अगस्तिस आता रे जो आचमनी एक क्षणी तुज प्याला ॥
सागरा प्राण तळमळला

The poem “ne majasi ne” was written by V.D. Savarkar on the shore of Brighton in England. It’s a call by him to the ocean to take him back to his motherland. He refers to his country as his mother in the poem –

Ne majasi ne parat maatrubhumilaa, saagaraa praaN taLamaLalaa

(O ocean, take me back to my motherland, I can’t take it any longer here)

bhoomaatechyaa charantalaa tuj dhutaa mee nitya paahilaa hotaa

maj vadalaasee anya deshee chal jaavu, sRushTichee vividhataa paahoo

taee jananeehRud virahshankitahi jhaale, pari tuvaa vachan tij didhale

maargadnya swaye meech pRushThi vaaheen, tvari tayaa parat aaNeen

vishvasalo yaa tav vachanee me, jagadanubhavayoge banunee me

tava adheek shakt uddharaNee me, yein tvare kathun soDile tijalaa

saagaraa praaN taLamaLalaa

(bhoo-earth/land, charantalaa–bottom of feet, vadalaasee-told, sRushTi-nature, vividhataa-variety, jananee-mother, hRud-heart, virah-separation, maargadnya-back, tvari-soon, vishvasalo-believed, jag-world, anubhav-experience, shakt-strong, uddharaNee-betterment)

I have always seen you washing the bottom of my mother’s feet (as in the waves washing the floor of the earth). You told me – let’s go to a different land, see the wonders of nature. My mother was apprehensive about my separation from her, but you promised her that just like you were taking me away, you would soon bring me back too. I trusted your words, thought that I would return to my land with experience from far and use it for strengthening my mother (country). So I left her saying I’ll return soon.

O ocean, I can’t take it any longer.

Shuk panjari vaa, hariN shiraavaa paashi, hee phasgat jhaalee taisee

Bhoo-virah kasaa satat saahu yaa pudhati, dash dishaa tamomay hotee

GuNasumane mee vechiyalee yaa bhaave, kee tine sugandhaa ghyaave

Jari uddharaNee vyay na tichyaa ho saachaa, haa vyartha bhaar vidyechaa

Tee aamra-vruKsha vatsalataa re, nav kusum yutaa tyaa sulataa re

To baal gulaab hi aataa re, phulbaag malaa haay paarakhaa jhaalaa

saagaraa praaN taLamaLalaa

(shuk-shikari-hunter, panjari-trap, hariN-deer, phasgat-cheating, satat-continuous, dash-ten, dishaa-directions, tamomay-dark, guNa-good qualities, sumane-flowers, bhaave-with the intention, sugandha-fragrance, saachaa-treasure, vyartha-useless, vidyechaa-of knowledge, aamrra-vruKsha-mango tree, vatsal-kind, nav-new, kusum-flower, gulaab-rose, phulbaag-flower garden, paarkhaa-alien)

Just like how a deer gets trapped in a hunter’s harmless-looking net, I was fooled by your words. How should I bear this separation from my land, all directions look dark now. I picked flowers of knowledge just so she (my motherland) could smell (avail of) them. But if it can’t be used for her progress, the knowledge is more of a load. She is like a mango tree that gives several different things to needy people, she is like a new flower, but that garden has become alien to me now.

O ocean, I can’t take it any longer.

Nabhee nakshatre bahut ek pari pyaaraa, maj bharat bhoomichaa taaraa

Praasaad ithe bhavya pari maj bhaaree, aaeechee jhopaDee pyaaree

TijaveeN nako raajya maj priyasaachaa, vanvaas tichyaa jari vaneechaa

BhulaviNE vyartha he aataa re, bahu jivalag gamate chittaa re

Tuj saritpate ji saritaa re, tad virahaachee shapath ghaalito tujalaa

saagaraa praaN taLamaLalaa

(nabhee-in the sky, nakshatre-constellations, bahut-many, pari-but, maj-for me, praasaad-attractions, bhavya-large, bhaaree-heavy, aaeechee-mother’s, jhopaDee-hut, tijaveeN-except for her, nako-don’t want, raajya-kingdom, van-forest, vaas-abode, bhulaviNe-foolery, aataa-now, bahu-lot, gamete-hurts, chittaa-heart, saritpate-feeds, saritaa-river)

There might be many constellations in this universe (world), but the star dearest to me is my country. There might be several attractions here, but it’s my mother’s hut I long to be in. Except for her, I do not desire any kingdom, I would rather prefer a life of hardships within her confines. You have fooled me enough, now it hurts my heart. Imagine how you would have felt if separated from the river that feeds into you (by analogy the river is the mother of the sea).

O ocean, I can’t take it any longer.

Yaa fenmishe hasasi nirdayaa kaisaa, kaa vachan bhangisee aisaa

Tvat swaamitvaa saamprat ji miravite, bhiunee kaa aangla-bhoomee te

Manmaatelaa abal mhanunee phasavisee, maj vivaasanaa te detee

Jari aangla bhoomee bhayabheeta re, abalaa na maajhee hee maataa re

Kathil he agastis aataa re, jo aachamani ek kshaNi tuj pyaalaa

saagaraa praaN taLamaLalaa

(yaa-this, fen-foam, mishe-form, hasasi-laugh, nirdayaa-cruelly, bhangisee-break, tvat-own, swaamitvaa-dominance, saamprat-thus far, miravite-claim, bhiunee-frightened, aangla-English, abal-weak, vivaasanaa-pain, bhaybheet-afraid/coward, kathil-will tell, aachamani-like in aachaman/drinking from the palm, ek kshani-in an instant, pyaalaa-drank)

You are laughing at me (in the form of the foam in your waves), but why did you break your promise of taking me back to my mother ? You have always claimed to be strong, but you are in fact afraid of the British rule. You try to call my mother weak and coward, but it applies to you. My mother is not weak, Agasthi, one of her sons had swallowed you in an instant (from the story of Agasthi Rishi).

O ocean, I can’t take it any longer.